Strength and Weakness
by Polaricey123
Summary: In a PMD world similar to the one you're familiar with, 6 friends; a Bayleef, Charmeleon, Ditto, Lapras, Luxray and Leafeon battle against 3 foes that are ready to do just about anything to win. mainly LeafeonXLapras with a little BayleefXCharmeleon.
1. Chapter 1

_**Strength and Weakness  
><strong>__By Polaricey123_

_**Chapter 1**_

The Bayleef glared at her pink friend in disbelief, her eyes burning like fire. "What? You mean that sad excuse of a mare did this to her?"

"I'm sorry, Chica, but that's to total truth. We can't do anything about it."

She stared at the stone ground, her red eyes burning holes in the floor in her mind. _Figures Team Coal would do this; they never show mercy to anyone. _She looked at her injured friend, a Leafeon named Aroma. It was spring now, so the leaves on her body were a dull pink. Burn marks, cuts, bruises and blood covered her like spots covered a Spinda. Chica looked away, horrified to see the team's top healer in this condition. "We won't be able to do anything unless Aqua and Cinder get back here with that herb. Are you _absolutely sure _that it can be found here in Apple Woods?"

Clone the Ditto, now in his prefered Lucario form, nodded. His voice didn't change, though his shape had. "I'm one-hundred percent positive. The book said that the Bruko Leaf could be found in the center-most part of Apple Woods on a tree called an..." he paused as he re-read the term in one of Aroma's herbology books, "'Abriko Tree'. They should be back any moment now."

His leader started to pace back and forth. "What if they got knocked out? What if Team Coal stepped in and attacked them? What if-"

"Easy, Chica. Just sit down and relax; they'll be here soon." '_I hope_' the black and blue creature added in his mind. "Aqua's a water-type so she'll be able to knock out Team Coal without any issues, and Cinder's a fire-type so he'll be able to get them through the woods easily."

Still, she found that she couldn't stop worrying about the Lapras and Charmeleon. "Oh God, they're out there all alone. They could be in danger, they could be in trouble, they could be in pain, they could be-"

"Chica, just _sit down_," he urged her, stepping in front of her to halt her actions. "Everything's gonna be okay, I promise."

She sighed knowing that he was right. _Every time someone goes on a mission without me, Aroma's always there to calm me down. Now she's the one who's hurt and I can't stop worrying about whether or not the others are okay._

Clone itched his head, unsure of what to do to calm his leader. Suddenly, a hoarse whisper came from their injured friend. "Ch-Chica?"

Both of them rushed over to her. Clone turned back into his original form so he wouldn't confuse her. "Yes dear, what is it? What do you need?" asked her leader.

Her face was unnaturally pale along with her pink leaves. Her amber eyes struggled to look into Chica's. "H-has Cinder...made it back yet?"

She bit her bottom lip in her search for words. "No, honey, he hasn't made it home yet." She saw Aroma as a younger sister and the fear of whether or not she'd make it was eating her alive.

Amber eyes scanned the room and squeezed shut as she winced in pain. "Where's...where's Zapzac?"

The young Luxray had been sent out for a walk earlier, due to her inability to keep from sobbing at her friend's condition. Inexperience with dealing with her emotions had driven her over the edge. Clone spoke up, "She went for a walk, she'll be back later." He took his Lucario form back up and wiped Aroma's forhead with her Pecha Scarf, which layed on the ground next to where he sat. Her tan fur was dark and matted with sweat, which glistened in the faint sunlight that shined in through the window.

She scanned the room once more. "What about...Aqua?"

The two of them exchanged glances. Then Chica sighed as she gently laid a hand on her sister's side, careful not to touch her wounds. "She went with Cinder in case Team Coal decided to attack him."

This caused her eyes to snap open. "Wh-what?" This time they weren't sure if she was stammering due to fatigue or shock. "Sh-she's out there? In...a forest filled with grass-types?"

Clone sat on the other side of the bed she layed on and stroked her head reassuringly. "Don't worry, Aroma. Cinder's a fire-type, remember? They'll be fine, you just relax."

She sighed in defeat and set her head back on the pillow. Her eyes trailed to a photo of the entire team on a green wall of Chica's house. Her lips formed a smile as she remembered when they took that photo. Zapzac had been on the team for about three weeks and they wanted to take a photo of the entire team as a momento. Chica was sitting in the middle of course, Cinder stood to the left of her with one arm draped around her shoulder, Aqua was at the far right of Chica resting her chin on Aroma's head, who was sitting right in front of her, and Clone sat on Aqua's head in his regular form. Everyone was smiling, though Cinder purposely made his a little creepy, since they had all had a copy of the photo. He wanted to be remembered in a "special" way.

Her eyes trailed back to Aqua, the concerned expression she had worn earlier re-emerged on her face. Aqua had been her best friend long before she had joined Team GreenFlare. They had grown up together in a small field not far from Treasure Town. It wasn't too often that they were seperated, the only times being when Aroma had gone out with the rest of the gang while Aqua stayed behind to train with Zapzac. She was much stronger than the grass-type laying in Chica's bed, but still rather inexperienced when it came to looking for herbs. Her fear for her friend became too much for her to bear and she let a few tears reveal themselves.

Clone's current form helped him sense her feelings and worries. "Oh, it's okay Aroma. They'll be fine, don't worry. They've delt with things tougher than what this forest can dish out."

"I concur," her older sis said wiping the tears from the other grass-type's eyes using her leaf. "We should be more worried about _you_, dear. How're you feeling? You need anything?"

She winced as she slowly curled into a ball and folded her ears back against her head. Her head laid against the hay that was Chica's bed as more tears found ways to push themselves out of her eyes. "Yeah, there's something that I need."

Her two friends looked at her eagerly and awaited her response. "You name it, we'll get it," her usually pink friend said setting his black paw on her back, causing her to wince in pain due to the large red gash across it.

Sadness overcame her and she buried her face in the straw again. Her leader pressed her for her answer. "Aroma, honey, what do you need us to get? Whatever it is, we'll get it."

She raised her head from the folds of the hay and she cleared her throat, though her voice still cracked as she uttered her response. "Aqua."

They both looked at her sympathetically, but sighed when she reburied her face in the bedding. Clone shrugged helplessly at Chica, who stroked her sister's head gently in an attempt to comfort her. He laid on the ground and folded his arms beneath his head. _'I don't get it,'_ he thought to himself. _I know Aqua's important to her because they were childhood friends, but even so she can't want her __that__ badly. Wouldn't she rather have her friend go search for a cure for her instead of sitting next to her and watching her suffer? _

He sighed in his confusion, which seemed more like a relaxed sigh to Chica. _How on Earth can he be so relaxed right now? Our friend is injured, her companion is out there with Cinder and they're most likely in grave danger! They probably need my assistance, yet here I sit..._

_No, Aroma needs me more. Those two can handle themselves; Romesy needs me at her side more than they do._

* * *

><p>"Take THIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSS!" Zapzac yelled charging and releasing a Thunderbolt. The move was more than enough to knock out the Exeggutor in front of them.<p>

Cinder sighed loudly. "Y'know, you coulda just used a regular attack on it; it would've KO'd it in the same manner."

She rolled her eyes at his remark. "Unlike you, Aqua and I don't get to go exploring too often. I'm merely taking advantage of the opportunity for me to test out this move Clone gave me via TM. Impressive, ain't it?" She sat proudly as though she had just beaten a tough enemy.

He folded his arms across his chest and shook his head in disbelief. "I'll be impressed once I see it take down Dialga in one shot." His face twisted to form a competetive grin. "Let's see which is more powerful; Your Thunderbolt or my Flamethrower!"

"Oh no you don't," Aqua said stepping between the two, fins pressed against both competitors' chests. "We're here for _Aroma's_ sake, not your own. Now quit acting like hatchlings and focus, both of you!" Her voice grew harsh and demanding, not something heard coming from the gentle water creature. Both Pokemon gaped at her sudden agression and attitude.

She slid forward using her fins, which were more accustomed to water but still proved to be useful on land. When she didn't hear the usual shuffling of the other twos' feet, she turned back around. Irritably, she said, "Pick your jaws up off the ground and get a move on! Every second we're standing here is another second Aroma's in pain."

They shook their heads of the shock and followed behind her. Cinder dragged his feet as he slumped behind Zapzac while his thoughts trailed elsewhere. _How dare she talk to me like that. I understand she has a right to talk to Zapzac like that, but not to me. I'm the Vice Leader of our team for pity's sake! I'm not a child..._

He quickened his pace so he was walking beside the water creature. "So what does this tree that we're looking for look like?"

"It's short, about the same size as your previous evolution, and has several white leaves all over it. The bark is a strange greenish color, so keep an eye out for that too." She had studied every picture in the book and heard every word that Clone had said about it so she knew she'd find the right one. "We need to get a leaf from this tree. Mind you, we need a pure white one, not one with withering edges or holes, it has to be plain and pure. We also need the stem from it, so be careful when picking the leaf from the tree, understood?"

That hauty and commanding voice agitated him even more, but he understood completely. Herbologists are usually pretty careful about the plants they gathered and made sure each one was in perfect condition, so it made sense. The blue furred Pokemon behind them suddenly sped up so she could walk side-by-side with them.

"So how often do you come here?" She asked both of them.

Aqua smiled. "Aroma and I used to come here all the time for apples and food. I hardly come here anymore, since we've found better food near where we live, but this place still holds many fond memories. Only reason I come here now is to see Chica and Cinder."

Cinder smiled and nodded his head. "That's pretty much what was going on with Chica and I before we moved out here. We'd come here every other day looking for apples and such for our adventures." The team watched as a Caterpie approached them. The small bug looked eager to fight, as did Zapzac, until Cinder merely kicked it to the side, causing instant fainting. It was _that_ weak.

The blue furred Pokemon sighed disappointedly. "Darn it. I wanted to use my new move on it."

"Don't waste PP, Zapzac. Save that move for when we face tougher foes, like Team Coal."

Cinder looked at the water creature sliding about next to him. "How do you know we'll face them?"

She glared at the path ahead of them as though their enemies were at the end of it. "I don't. I'm just saying that we shouldn't bother wasting our moves on weaker Pokemon when stronger ones could be lurking anywhere, waiting to jump out and attack. That's what happened to Romesy." Secretly, she was _begging _for trio to appear to appear, so she could pound the living daylights out of those cretins.

Team Coal consisted of a Blaziken, Infernape and Rapidash. Their name comes from two of the members' abilities to burn weak enemies to crisps and pound them into condensed pieces of coal...or so the rumor goes.

The Blaziken's name was Duff, which Clone had often said stood for "dumb and tough". In this case, he was totally off the mark, as Duff was really the brains of the group, as well as part of the brawn. He was so abnormally smart that it was said his IQ was almost even with an Alakazam's whose IQ was close to 2,000. His incredible strength and agility made him quite the challenge, though he was a little slow when told a riddle or asked the meaning of life. The _only_ way you could beat him is if you were to distract him in such a way, but this didn't always work.

The Infernape was more fitting for the name Duff, in the opinions of his enemies and _colleagues_. Though he could punch through brick walls, the fire atop is head didn't exactly burn the brightest. However, despite his lack of intellegence, he was more persistent than his counterpart and harder to distract, since his focus is usually on battling and battling alone. Even if you were to try and distract him with questions, he'd always respond with "Questions are dumb! Let's fight instead!" This fact made him a more worthy apponent than Duff. His friends just call him Infernape, since he can't even recall his own name. Seriously.

Finally, there's Bolt. Though that's the name you'd call an electric-type, it seemed to fit this Rapidash best. She talks pretty quickly, though that's all she does. Her words are harsh, but she's never able to put them into actions; She lets the other two do that for her. You know the situation must be _desperate_ if she's fighting along side them.

She used to be a champion in the Sinnoh National Rapidash Race Tournaments (SNRRT) before forming this team with the two others, who had abandoned their trainers and home worlds. Her name came from the fact that she'd be able to run by so fast that you couldn't even see her and leave nothing behind but a trail of fire in her wake. Back in her racing days, she was known as the Red Blur. After losing her ten-year winning streak, however, her trainer went off the deep end and abandoned her at a Day-Care Center. The elderly couple tried, but they couldn't tame her and she escaped. Shortly afterwards, she formed Team Coal. Now her team just competes with Team Greenflare, though they have yet to have a single victory over the six of them.

_They hurt Aroma. One way or another, they __will__ pay. I'm normally peaceful and carefree; I don't usually approve of violence and fighting. However, once they laid their filthy hands on...__her__...peace and tranquility went right out the goddamn window._

"Hey, look! There's the tree!" Zapzac said running forward. Aqua felt both relieved and disappointed that they found it; she was hoping that Team Coal would show themselves and she'd get the chance to beat them to a pulp.

The electric-type's tail started wagging back and forth at the sight of the green bark and white leaves on the one-foot tree. "This one?" She asked pointing at a leaf while looking at the other two.

Aqua shook her head. "No, that one has tints of pink in it; we need a completely white one."

"Then this one, right?" Cinder's claw pointed at a perfect white one that didn't have anything wrong with it, until his claw went through it. "Oops..."

The water-type sighed at his actions. "Use your fingers to pick them by their stems, Cinder, not your claws." Her eyes landed on another perfect one not far from where the freshly cut one was. "How about that one above it?"

The orange lizard smiled as he gingerly, using his fingers, picked the leaf from the tree by the stem. "Okay," he said holding the leaf in his hands as though it were made of glass, "let's get this back to Clone. He should know what to do next."

The trio didn't go too fast for fear of damaging the leaf with winds their running would've caused, but didn't go too slow for fear of Team Coal lurking in the shadows. Along the way, they merely kicked or punched enemies that dared to cross them, except for Cinder of course.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Chica had taken to humming a song from her childhood to her injured friend while Clone started twiddling his...paws? Her worry didn't subside when it grew dark out. If anything, it intensified. Then it vanished completely when the three Pokemon, covered with leaves, sticks and other debris found from the woods, suddenly burst through the door.<p>

The blue and black creature, who had a slight trace of pink in his hands to show his friends that it was him, took the white leaf from Cinder and rushed upstairs. Aroma had shown him how to do herbology in case of emergencies like these. He didn't quite know how to do the more complicated stuff, but he knew how to make a healing potion for her. His hands became a blur as they went to work with pouring all sorts of stuff into a metal bowl on a nearby table. Once it was full of a strange brown liquid, he sprinkled red salts on the leaf and dropped it into the elixir. Once it slowly sank to the bottom, he picked up the bowl and rushed it back downstairs and outside, where the other four members of the team had built a fire. He cooked the bowl's contents steadily and carefully until it looked smooth and thick.

The others gathered around Aroma's bed as they waited for Clone to complete his tasks. Eventually, he staggered back into the room and walked over to her bed. He tilted the bowl so she would be able to drink from it.

Smelling the brew, she lifted her head weakly to the rim of the bowl and peered in. A gentle grin formed on her face and she said, "Looks like...you did it r-right." She took a few sips of it and laid back down. Every other minute, she'd ask for another sip of it and the others would oblige the second she asked. Once it was all gone, she mumbled, "Mmm. Many...of my injuries sh-should be healed...come tomorrow."

Aqua gently laid her head on her friend's. "I'm glad you're gonna be okay, Romesy. I was worried that we were too late."

"I w-was also worried...that you'd get h-hurt while out there, Aq. I th-thought that...that Team Coal would-"

"Shh, shh. Don't strain your voice, dear. Let it rest 'till tomorrow."

Amber eyes burned fearfully into dark blue. "You...you're not gonna...leave, are you?"

She smiled at her. "I'm not going anywhere." With that, she gently laid her head next to her friend's.

Cinder went upstairs and found the extra beds they had stored away in case of sleep-overs. He and Chica shared one bed and hers was hardly ever used, so there wasn't any problems with Aroma sleeping in it. She had made Zapzac a bed not long after he joined and she now laid herself down in it, stretching as far as her limbs would let her. Aqua raised her head and dragged her straw bed over next to Aroma. She settled in it and replaced her head next to her friend's once more. Clone decided to shift into his Machop form so he could stretch limbs he never really had. None of them knew why he loved fighting-types so much, he just did. Cinder just assumed it was because they were stronger than his real form, a normal-type.

He smiled as he laid in his bed and Chica laid her head on top of him as she settled on her side. She gently rubbed against his muzzle before laying her head on his chest and falling asleep.

Cinder's smile never died as he stared at the cieling. He and Chica had been together for a while now, about two years after defeating Darkrai. She had decided to evolve from a Chikorita into a Bayleef because her new form could get it's leaf damaged and her life wouldn't be threatened. Unfortunately, Cinder's chain of evolution includes his tail being in danger during each one. He had decided to evolve so he'd be growing with her evolution-wise.

They could still evolve into their third evolutions, but he prefered to be a sleek and agile Charmeleon than a chubby Charizard. Granted he'd be able to fly, he'd crush any straw beds made for him. He prefered straw over cold stone. Chica felt the same about being a Bayleef. Having the ability to revive dead plants by merely breathing on them would be cool, but the inability to sleep in straw was more than enough to keep her from evolving.

He sighed contently as his eyes shut and he drifted off into a blissful rest, ready to take on tomorrow's challenges

**End of Chapter 1**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: READ THIS BEFORE YOU REVIEW! Yes, I know that in PMD you can only have 4 Pokemon to a team. Yes, I know that Leafeon's leaves don't change with the seasons, only Deerling's and Sawsbuck's do. No, this story isn't related or connected to _Heart of_ Fire. Though the names of both the team and the 2 characters are similar, this story is on a different timeline than HoF, so THEY'RE UNRELATED!**

**This story has been burning holes in my mind, so I finally got around to typing the first chapter. What with school restarting (ugh) I'm not sure when the next chap'll be up, but I'll do my best to get them up. Just don't rush me and I'll get 'em up.**

**In any case, w00t! New story!**


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

Aroma winced as she stood up. She stretched out one of her paws and gently applied pressure on it, unsure if she was ready to start moving yet. No pain coursed through her body, so she carefully moved her second one to the front. Still no pain. She continued this careful walk out of bed and outside.

The night air felt cool and refreshing compared to the overheated wooden shack that Chica lived in. Leafy ears perked as their owner listened to kricketots and kricketunes play their songs off in the distance. The sweet scent of lavender and honeysuckle invaded her nose and briefly numbed her senses. Volbeats and illumises flew through the air, busily rushing back and forth going about their nightly routines. They looked like little blurry stars with the way they zoomed through the air.

Aroma closed her eyes and took in every esscence of nature that surrounded her. The blood that coursed through her veins started speeding up as every one of her senses started tingling, as though she was being attacked by one of Zapzac's discharges. This shockwave forced a shiver to vibrate her figure, which didn't have nearly as many sores and injuries as it did four hours ago. A content sigh forced itself out of her throat before she stood up and approached the river only three or four yards from Chica's shack.

She sat on the edge of the bank and stared at her reflection. Cuts and bruises still revealed themselves on her face, though most of the burn marks were gone. The large gash above her left eye was also completely healed. '_Woah, Clone did a really good job,'_ she thought to herself. _Not even the brews that I make are able to heal a gash like that in such a short amount of time._

Amber eyes trailed up and gazed at the sky, the reflection of the moon and stars making them sparkle. There were still purple and pink textures mixed within the blackened sky from the sunset. A few staravias and staraptors flew across the moon, returning north from their winter rest in the southern regions. Aroma wondered what it'd be like to be a bird pokemon. To feel the wind rush through your feathers and fly as high as high as you could; to be truly free! There weren't flying-types in the team, so it wasn't like she could just ask. '_Unless I were to ask Chatot,_' she reminded herself. _Or maybe Clone would know. He HAD to have been a bird pokemon at one time in his life, therefore he'd know what it's like to fly!_

Her neck was starting to hurt from the weird angle it was in. She felt relief when she turned her gaze to the river in front of her. To get more comfortable, she laid herself down on a small patch of grass not far from where she stood. Her eyes watched the water rush over the stones at the bottom of the river, carrying algae and other aquatic matter with it.

A relaxed smile formed on her lips as she listened to the water's violent movements. _I wonder what it'd be like to be a water droplet in a river, always moving around with all my droplet friends, occassionally splitting apart to keep moving around an object and reforming with another droplet along the way. I wonder if there'd be small towns among the droplets, like Treasure Town. Or if the droplets race to see who can get to a certain destination first. Then there's those few droplets that get carried out of the water on pokemon and stones. Once they've escaped that busy bustle of a community, they probably fall back into the ground or evaporate, thus becoming one with the water cycle. I wonder how long some of those droplets have waited to evaporate from the river and rejoin their little friends up in the clouds. It's truly amazing how everything that happens in this river is cyclic; it'll never stop even if all of the droplets have evaporated. They'll just be replaced by other little droplets who'll do them the honors of continuing where they left of and vice versa._

Her eyes darted between the river and the sky. _Two worlds, totally opposite one another, with the only transition being dry land. Unless, of course, a bird pokemon gets hungry and swoops down to carry some poor magikarp or feebas off to their death. The only time one world is regarded by the other is in either fear or hunger by it's denizens. My world, the world of land, is the only world where some members of both worlds can exist. It's...astonishing how it all combines together to form perfect harmony._

She sighed to herself, letting her leafy ears droop down to the either side of her head. _I doubt anyone, besides me, thinks about these things. There's so many wonders in this world and nobody seems to remark on them, or share their opinions. I wonder if there's a type of bird pokemon out there that can fly, swim, AND walk on land. Or a fish pokemon that can swim, walk on land, AND fly. I mean, Clone can do all that, but he's a cellular pokemon, not a fish or bird pokemon, though he can turn into them. I wonder if there's such pokemon out there among the many great wonders of-_

Her thoughts were cut off when she heard a sudden rustling noise. She held her breath and listened to sound of a pokemon moving through the bushes on the other side of the river. Two small red eyes peered through the dark crevices at her and a low growling could be heard coming from within the shrub. Her breath came out slowly and shakily to prevent her lungs from exploding, though her heart didn't go nearly as slow. The eyes slowly came closer towards her. Though there was a large population of water droplets seperating them and her, they felt as though they were only a few inches away from hers. The small branches of the bush parted to reveal a dark face that came with the eyes, followed by white horns and a black body with small bones covering it's back. A tail wagged back and forth furiously, though it's owner couldn't have looked happier in his entire life.

Aroma's heart nearly jumped up into her throat as she recognized the pokemon; a houndoom. Not just _any_ houndoom, _the_ houndoom. The only houndoom that she knew with a small tuff of black hair in between his horns and a small amount of purple on the tip of his tail, as though it was infused with poison.

In one swift movement, the figure leaped over the river and landed about two yards to the right of her. She shakily got to her feet and started to inch backwards in fear. Her movements halted when he didn't move closer.

He tilted his head to the side as his eyes looked up and down her figure. "What happened? Why are you injured?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn't find her words. They seemed to be caught in her throat due to the surprise of him being here.

He took a step forward, which she responded to by taking a step back. "D-don't come any closer," she said having finally found her words. "Stay away f-from me, Nigel!"

A look of hurt flared in his red eyes. He obeyed her order and sat on the ground. "Aroma...what happened?"

Her eyes looked him up and down. '_He seems the same to me,_' she thought to herself. _He shouldn't be here, he's supposed to be as far away from me as possible! Yet here he sits, acting as though we're best friends._

She looked down at the ground. "Team Coal happened," she mumbled.

He growled deeply. "Shoulda known. They started trouble with us back then, figures they'd keep it up now."

Amber eyes suddenly pierced crimson. "There's no _us_. We're not together anymore, remember?"

The dark pokemon looked at her pleadingly. "I know, but I'm not the same houndoom I was back then. I swear to you, Aroma, I'm a changed pokemon. And if you'd be willing to take me back-"

"Never! Not a chance in hell!"

He paused momentarily after she interrupted him. "-I'd be willing to show you that I'm not the same as I was before," he finished. He looked down his tan muzzle at the ground knowing that her answer would still be the same.

The pain she felt came out in a rage of words. "Why should I? After you left me for a mightyena and started your own little family, you suddenly decide that you want to come back? It's a little late for that, don't you think?"

A long moment of silence passed between them. She would have went back inside, had he not been between her and the shack. In truth, she was still a little frightened of him being here and was afraid of what he'd do if she dared to pass him.

She decided to break the silence. "How's Nana?"

Nigel slightly winced at hearing that name, but Aroma pretended to ignore it. "She's...fine." He didn't look up from the ground as he spoke to her. "So are...Casey and Hunter."

_Why am I talking to him like we're old friends cathing up? Is it because I'm buying time until he moves from that spot so I can go inside? Why don't I just muster up my courage and-_

"How are the others?"

She didn't bother hiding her annoyance. "They're fine. They've been helping me cope with...you leaving."

His gaze finally met hers. "Aroma, I'm sorry for leaving. I was foolish and blind and I didn't know what I had until I lost it. Please, give me another chance and I'll prove my loyalty to you."

She turned sharply away from him so she couldn't see his pleading expression. "I already gave you a second chance, remember? Only you didn't exactly leave me the first time." She cringed inwardly at the memory. "You said the exact same thing then, so why should I believe you now?"

Her ears perked at a shuffling sound and she knew that he was standing behind her. She squeezed her eyes shut when she felt him sniff her, taking in the exotic scent of her fresh, nature-bathed body. Her view of the river was already hindered due to her eyelids, but it darkened when something stood in front of her. His muzzle press lightly against her head and he gently planted a kiss on her forehead before whispering, "Please, Aroma. I'm not the same pokemon as I was back then, I swear. I love you with all my heart and I'll do anything to prove it."

She did everything she could to prevent herself from crying. Without saying anything, she stood up and started to walk back to the shack. The dark pokemon followed her to her destination. She stopped when she finally got to the door, knowing that it'd be wiser to reject him politely than start a fight with the other members this late at night.

"I swear, I will never raise a hand to you again. I promise, cross my heart-"

"And hope to die," she finished for him.

His eyes pleaded even more. "I'm not the one who put those marks all over you."

"This time," she added bitterly while remembering the first two months of their relationship, which was nothing more than a series of beatings and apologies. The beatings got more severe and the apologies became less frequent until they stopped coming, period. The final straw came when he used a full force flamethrower on her and told her, the next day, that he wished it had been enough to kill her.

He bit his bottom lip as he looked at his crush. "I wasn't right in the head. I'm different now and-"

"Then you cheated on me with a mightyena for the entire time you were back with me, and even started a _family_!"

His eyes shut in desperation. "Please," he pleaded in a whisper she could just barely hear, "I want to protect you. You m-mean...everything to me. I want to prove myself worthy of being with you. I love you, Romesy." He gently cupped the side of her face in his left paw, looking deep into those amber eyes that drove him wild.

She brought her paw up to his and removed it from her cheek. She turned her back to him to re-enter the shack, but paused in her movements. Her head turned to the left, but didn't face him completely. "You really wanna protect me, Nigel?"

He looked at her with a new glint of hope in his eyes. "Yes, and I'll do anything to do so."

She hesitated. Some voices in her head wanted her to give him one last shot, while others warned her against it. Finally, one lone choice surfaced from her foggy thoughts and she turned to face him. Without pausing to think, she pressed her lips against his. He inhaled sharply and leaned in closer to deepen the kiss. For a minute or two, their tongues explored each other's mouth before she pulled away sharply. She once again hesitated before saying, "Then move on. Find someone else to love...for my sake."

Without saying anything else, she entered the shack and gently shut the door behind her. She quietly walked over to the window, where she could hear him sobbing and repeating her name. Thoughts of going back out there and embracing him, thus welcoming him back into her life, ran through her mind. She shook these thoughts off and trudged back to her bed.

She walked quickly despite her throbbing wounds. None of them hurt as badly as the knife that was plunged through her heart.

**End of Chapter 2**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, I know that hardly anything happened in this chapter. What I'm hoping to do is have chapters 2-5 reveal the lives of the members before joining the team. I wanna give a bit of background information on the members before furthering the plot, since I didn't really do that too well in the first chapter. I wanted to do a bit more in this one, but the idea of Nigel and Aroma just expanded to a length I thought was suitable for a chapter.**

**Again, let me know how I can improve this. I want this to be _perfect_!**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

Someone sighed loudly, which caused Aqua to awaken. Her deep blue eyes darted from bed to bed. She saw Cinder and Chica sleeping peacefully in their bed, Zapzac resting in her hay bed (which was lined with rocks to prevent her from sleep-shocking), and Clone, now a sharpedo, snoring away. He often transformed into random pokemon in his sleep, which was amusing to anyone who saw it. Aqua stifled a laugh as she saw him turn from a sharpedo into a cyndaquil. The water pokemon stretched her limbs and gazed sleepily at Aroma's bed. Something wasn't right with it, though she was too sleepy to figure it out. It took her a few minutes to realize that its owner wasn't resting her injured body in it!

Her nervousness dissolved when she saw her leafy friend staring out the window. Her amber eyes sparkled from the morning sun, which was starting to peek over the hills in the distance. Trying to be quiet, Aqua inched from her bed to her friend.

"Romesy? You okay?"

The grass type sat in silence and continued to stare out the window. A brief moment passed before she finally turned to her friend, who could see the dried up tears in her eyes. "H-hey Aq."

The blue pokemon's eyes darted from her to the sunrise, then back to her. "You shouldn't be out of bed yet. C'mon, you need your rest." She made a motion with her fin back to the bed, but Aroma didn't move.

"I...I can't sleep." She turned her attention back out to the sun, as though she was afraid it was going to vanish into thin air. "After what happ-" she stopped herself.

Deep blue eyes pierced the back of the grass type's head. "What? What happened, Romesy?"

Said pokemon sighed and looked at the floor in defeat. "Nigel...he came back earlier. I went outside to relax and..." her sentence trailed off.

The water type's muscles clenched in anger. "Did he hurt you? Hit you, insult you, threaten you? I swear, if he did anything to you-"

"-He didn't do anything Aq," she interrupted. "He...he only wanted to know if I'd give him another chance."

Her friend swirled the emotions inside of her around, contemplating what to say. She knew how the grass type felt about the black pokemon despite everything he had done to her. She was unsure if she would advise going back to him, or if she'd advise staying away from him. She was as clueless about what to do as Aroma, though she desperately wished she knew what to say to help her.

She finally said, "So what are you gonna do? Do you want to get back with him?"

Amber eyes teared up. "I don't know what I want anymore. I still love him, but I don't want to get hurt again. I...I just don't know."

Aqua's eyes trailed to the floor. She hated seeing her friend like this, but didn't know what to do. With a split-second decision, she slid closer to her friend and hugged her, setting her fin gingerly on her back.

"Whatever happens, don't forget that we're still here for you; _I'm_ still here. That won't ever change, okay?"

The grass type's heartbeat quickened at the sudden contact with the water type. She managed a small nod under the grasp of her friend and sighed contently. She loved the feel of Aqua's smooth and slippery skin against her own because of how it felt like silk.

There was always something different between what she felt when being held by Nigel and when being held by Aqua. Nigel smelled like charcoal mixed with a campfire, which was often enough to make Aroma gag. Grass and bug types have nerves within them that repelled fire type scents and made them seem revolting. Nigel also seemed dangerous and wild, which scared Aroma whenever she was with him; he was unpredictable.

Aqua, on the other hand, smelled of coral and seaweed, which always made the grass type feel like she was at the bottom of the ocean. Unlike the dark and fire type, the water type was usually calm and collected, keeping her temper at a minimum. Her serenity and grace was what made Aroma treasure her as a friend, plus her kindness and understanding. She also knew that Aqua would never hurt her for as long as she lived and would never betray her. She knew that as long as they were together, she'd never be miserable.

Amber eyes suddenly snapped open as an unfamiliar feeling coursed through her veins. It was a sensation of complete devotion and care for the water type, as well as light-headedness whenever she thought about her. This new feeling was enough to make her heart speed up to the same pace as that of a rocket cutting through the sky.

_'This feeling,'_ she thought to herself, '_it feels so familiar. The feeling of joy and comfort, as though my life is complete as long as I'm next to her. The feeling of sorrow and emptiness whenever I'm not with her, and complete misery and gloom should she ever leave me_.'

The grass type closed her eyes and tightened her grip on her best friend as a single tear streaked down her face and landed on her companion's flipper. Realization slowly crept into her mind and she did nothing to push it away or deny it. _I...I love her. Though we're the same gender...I love her._

Her heart quickened at the word, which would have been enough to cause a heart attack to any human, but pokemon have been proven to have stronger hearts than them. It's this extra cardio strength that enables them to withstand powerful attacks and merely faint when hit enough times. She closed her eyes and let thoughts of how she felt flood her brain. _I don't care what the others think. I don't care about us being the same gender. I don't care about us not being the same type. I don't care about anything else. I love you, Aqua. I love you so much..._

"Aroma?"

"Hmm," she mumbled still letting her love-filled emotions run through her.

She heard a light laugh come from her friend. "Don't you think you're enjoying this hug a little too much?"

Reality slapped her hard. The look on her face was nearly that of a dead pokemon's, though a dead pokemon probably would've looked more at peace than her. She had totally forgotten that although she's in love with the her, Aqua might not feel the same about her. Sudden embarassment burned her face as she pulled sharply away from her friend and stared back out at the sunrise.

The water type covered her mouth with a fin, realizing that she just might have offended her injured companion. "Oh! I'm s-sorry, Romesy! Of course, you must want affection to take your mind off of your wounds. I'm so sorry, I didn't even realize."

As she accepted another hug from her friend, concerns about how she'd explain her feelings to the others started to rise. If she _did_ tell them about her feelings towards Aqua, that'd mean admitting that she was a lesbian. Around there, lesbians and gays stuck out like sore thumbs and were often ridiculed for being different. Many were teased to the point to where they stopped their exploring altogether and hid. Aroma wanted to tell her friend how she felt about her, but was afraid of how she'd react. If Aqua laughed and derided her, it'd tear her apart. She'd be nothing without her crush at her side, and even less if she wasn't wanted by her.

She sighed as fear and worry replaced the joy and bravery that inhabited her heart earlier. She was even more afraid of what Nigel would do if he found out that she loved another girl instead of him. During the abusive part of their relationship, he once tied her to a stone and threw graveler rocks at her for forgetting to pack his attack scarf. She shuddered at the idea of what he'd do to her if he found out something as major as this.

'_Maybe I should tell Chica,_' she thought to herself. _She's understanding and caring, so maybe she'll know what to do._

* * *

><p>"Hey Clone. Where's Chica?"<p>

The lucario-turned ditto traced a finger over the orange X still on his chest. "She took off with Cinder and Zapzac for Amp Plains. I guess Zapzac's having a family reunion, or something, and wanted to introduce the team's leaders to 'em."

Aroma sat on the ground. "Oh. That's too bad, I wanted to ask her something. Where's Aqua?"

"Out."

"Out where?"

"I dunno, she didn't say where she was going. It's not exactly like you can go after her, since you're still injured." His attention seemed to revolve around the mark, as though his life depended on its current existance.

The grass type tilted her head in confusion. "Y'know, I've always wondered why you've got that mark on your chest. Is it a symbol of a past gang?"

He smiled at her. "Nah. Just a mark." The corner of his lip twitched, which only happened if he was lying.

"C'mon Clone, I can tell you're not telling me everything." An evil smile suddenly spread across her face and she collapsed to the floor. "Oww, my wounds! Oh, I'm in so much pain, I could just die right here!" She coughed a few times to emphasize her pain.

He rushed over. "Oh no, Aroma! What hurts? Show me where the pain is and tell me what to do to fix it!"

She gripped her stomach with both of her hands and wrapped her tail around her hind legs. "Ohhh, I think...this is...the end." Her eyes slowly shuttered shut, causing her friend to freak out.

"No, no, NO! Romesy, wake up! Tell me what I can do to prevent you from suffering!"

"Well...cough, cough...maybe there's a chance I'll make it...if...if you..."

The suspense was eating at him bit by bit. "Yes, go on. What is it? I'll do _anything_."

"The only way you can save me...cough, hack, cough...is if you...tell me the story...of your orange X."

His expression went from worried to confused. He just about exploded when he saw the evil smirk and heard her laugh deviously.

"YOU JERK! You really had me worried! I thought you were gonna die and you were just picking on me!"

She laughed so hard that she started crying. After a while, she sat up and wiped away her tears, her eyes fixated on him once more. "Hehe...you're too gullible for your own liking. But seriously, it'd make me feel better if you'd just tell me."

He looked out the window. "It's a secret."

She sighed. "How about this, you tell me your secret and I'll tell you mine. Deal?"

His violet eyes pierced hers. "No secret you have can be as personal and important as mine."

"Untrue," she said raising her right paw, "I swear that this secret is as secretive as they get. Not even Aqua knows this secret, and for a good reason."

Clone smiled. "Fine, let's hear it."

"You first."

He looked at the ground in front of him for several seconds as he contemplated whether or not to tell her. Finally, his gaze met hers and he said, "You are not to tell _anyone_, you hear?"

She inched forward with intrest. "As long as you swear to never tell anyone my secret, I'll never tell anyone yours."

He grinned and they shook paws, sealing their oaths and deal.

"So, what's the story?" She laid on her stomach and held her head up with both of her front paws, looking in his violet eyes with undistracted intrest.

The lucario sighed as he looked at a small blade of grass poking up from a crack on the shack floor. "It...started back when I was younger. Some scientists from Team Rocket were working on making a gelatinous form that could transform into any pokemon, that way they could get another mewtwo to try and rule the world again."

"That's you, right?" Her amber eyes sparkled as she pictured the high-tech lab that he was talking about.

"No, that's someone else. You see, Team Rocket was unaware that there already existed gelatinous pokemon; us dittos. After a while, they succeded in making a radioactive orange ditto that broke loose from their lab and started wrecking havoc in a nearby forest. It was far more different, not only because of its color, but also because it left a colorful trail wherever it went." His eyes landed back on the small blade of grass.

Aroma's stomach was starting to hurt from her current position, so she sat up. "That doesn't exactly explain the mark on your chest."

He sighed sadly. Before long, he started tracing the mark with his paw again. "They were searching for this rare ditto for a few months before they found it. During those few months...the orange ditto met a pink ditto in the woods and fell in love. You see, us dittos have the ability to be whatever gender we want-"

"Except for you," she reminded him.

"Yeah. And...except for the orange ditto. She and the pink ditto would play in a special field for days on end, enjoying every second of the other's company. One day, the pair saw a lucario couple strolling through the woods. Seeing how close the couple was, they started playing together as lucarios. Because the orange ditto couldn't turn into a male anytime she wanted, the pink ditto was more than happy to settle as a male pokemon everytime they played together."

He bit his bottom lip and stared at the door. As hard as he tried to keep them down, Aroma could see tears welling up in his eyes. "Th-the ditto couple were madly in love. It wasn't...t-too long before the orange ditto laid an orange-spotted egg. They had already d-decided that if the pokemon inside was a boy, it'd b-be named Cell, and it'd be named Chloe if it was a girl." Clone's voice cracked as he finished his sentence.

The grass type could see clear sadness beginning to boil over the normal type's mental barrier that he tried to keep stable. His smile wavered and died as his sadness spilled from his eyes and ran down his face. His purple eyes were shining with pain and hate.

He shut his eyes in an attempt to contain himself, but that only seemed to worsen things. "T-team Rocket finally found the orange d-ditto and captured her. Th-they spoke of destroying h-her so that she wouldn't c-contaminate their experiments. The pink d-ditto attacked them in an attempt to s-save his lover, but they were more than enough to stop him. Th-then, just before they left, they took the egg and-"

He drew his legs up to his chest and started rocking himself back and forth. He mumbled something inaudible.

"Wh-what was that, Clone? I couldn't h-hear you." By now, Aroma's face was moist from crying.

"THEY SMASHED IT!" He slightly startled her as he yelled his response. He buried his face in his legs and wrapped his arms tightly around himself. The grass type could hear his muffled sobs. "They took my wife and child! Aaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgh! Why? Why them? Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?"

Feeling horrible for bringing up such bad memories, Aroma went over and wrapped her arms around the trembling pokemon. She rubbed his back and rocked him back and forth while murmuring soothing words to him. Although the story didn't explain the mark on his chest, she knew that comforting him was more important than bringing up something so insignificant. Almost a half an hour passed before he settled back down.

He wiped away a few tears as the grass type returned to her seat. He cleared his thorat before saying, "Th-this mark on my chest...was a result from the radioactive qualities of Enigma, the orange ditto. When we bred...this mark appeared. It seems to have caused damage...to the nerves that make me able to change my gender. That's why I will remain forever male."

As she took in everything Clone was saying, the grass type nodded slowly. Rage towards Team Rocket and pity for her friend ran through her system, along with sudden fear at the fact that she'd have to reveal her secret to him in a couple of minutes. She decided to try and buy time until that moment. With any luck, the black and blue pokemon would've forgotten her promise due to his sorrow. "So what happened to Enigma? Did they actually...?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno. I dunno if she escaped or if they...finished her. I haven't heard anything about her since they took her." A brief moment of silence passed before his purple eyes lit up. "Do you think she's still alive?"

"It's possible. We don't know for sure that she's dead, though we're not certain that she's alive either. We can only hope, right?"

"Yeah..." He itched his chin at the thought. Then his arms crossed behind his head and he leaned against the wall. "So what's this oh-so-personal secret of yours?"

A light blush formed on her cheeks. "Promise not to tell?"

"I promise."

She looked him square in the eye. "I need you to be absolutely sure you won't tell, Clone. This secret could be enough to drive me away from the team, if anyone else found out. You _swear_ you won't tell?"

He raised his right paw and traced the X over his chest. "Cross my heart and hope to die."

'_If only that phrase hadn't failed me before,_'she bitterly thought to herself. "You see...the truth is...um...I'm not sure...how to say this, but..."

Fushia eyes glared in annoyance. "For crying out loud, child. Spit it out!"

"I'm in love with Aqua," she blurted.

No words were uttered, no incoherent mumbling, not even the sound of wind blowing against the boards of the shack. They stared at each other for a while, the silence becoming a little uncomfortable for the grass type. Embarassment became too much for her to handle and she felt as though she could've passed out right then and there.

"...Aroma? Did you just say...that you love Aqua?"

She swallowed hard and nodded slowly. "Y-yeah. I mean...more than a friend or a sister."

"So does this mean...?" His voice was a little raspy, though neither of them were sure if that was from his crying earlier, or from shock at what he was hearing.

"I think so. I think...I'm a lesbian." She looked at her feet in shame.

"Oh. I see..."

Her eyes met his again. "Please don't tell the others! If they find out about me, they'll probably-"

"-Relax, Romesy, relax! I swore to keep your secret between us, remember? I won't say anything."

"Th-thanks, Clone." '_Whew, at least I can trust him,_' she thought to herself. _I wonder if the outcome would've been the same if Chica __**was**__ here? Most likely, since she'd never break a promise. Still, I wonder what would've happened if-_

"-But you should."

"Hmm?"

"You oughta tell the others."

"Are you crazy? They'll throw me out, if not worse! I can't tell them, especially not Aqua! That'd be enough to tear us apart!"

"They'll find out sooner or later, Aroma. When they do find out, it'll be at the worse possible time, so it'd be wiser if you told them point blank. They're our friends, they'll accept you for who you are."

A look of worry and fear still lingered on her face. "But what if they don't? What if they hate and despise me?"

He set a black paw on her shoulder. "They won't. Trust me, they'll understand."

The amount of confidence within him made her doubt that he was the same pokemon that had fallen apart earlier. Still, she found his words to be wise and meaningful, though they still filled her with fear. _He doesn't know for sure that they'll understand. Then again, I don't know for sure that they won't. I won't know until I try, right? _

"There's as much of a chance that they'll accept me as much as there's a chance that Enigma's alive, right?"

He smiled. "Right!"

The grass type couldn't help but wonder where the orange ditto would be, if she was still alive. She also couldn't help but wonder what Clone's child would've looked like if it was alive today.

**End of Chapter 3**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This one was sad to write :`( other than that, hope you like it :D**


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

"Not bad Aqua," Clone complimented as he shook his lucario-fur to get dry. "Your aim for Hydro Pump could use a bit of work, along with the way you form your water bullets for Water Gun, and-"

"Okay, okay, I get the picture," the water-type stated. "So what's my score this time?"

The trainer sighed as he reached up to grab his clipboard from the safety platform he kept it on while training the others. "Let me see here...you got a ten on speed, a ten on defensive maneuvers, a nine on formation, a ten on attack strength, and a four on accuracy. Total amount: Forty-three out of fifty."

Her blue eyes widened in disbelief. "WHAT? I got a four for accuracy? A _FOUR?_"

"Well yeah. You missed with Hydro Pump nearly every time you used it, and Whirlpool missed a few times, too. You need to perfect your accuracy if you want to get in the mid-forties."

"But Hydro Pump has a low accuracy probability, anyway! There's no way _anyone_ can get perfect aim when using it!"

Clone frowned. He turned white, then changed into a lapras. The male water-type slid over next to the female, then faced the target she was supposed to hit with Hydro Pump earlier, then looked at the surounding walls. He prepared a powerful blast of water, then looked up at one of the walls, closing one eye while staring at one particular piece of stone. After aiming carefully, he shot the water blast at a polished stone, which bounced it over to another polished fixture, which shot it right at the target. Aqua stared at the wodden fragments in amazement and envy.

"Show off," she mumbled loud enough for him to hear.

"Why do you want to learn how to perfect that move, anyway? Why not just use a TM to learn a move with a higher accuracy probability?" he asked while transforming back into his preferred lucario form.

"Because Hydro Pump's the most powerful move us water-types can learn! What use am I if I can't use powerful moves?"

Her trainer sighed. "It's not powerful if it doesn't hit. Besides, you're always telling us how the strength of moves are based on the strength of the user. What makes this one so different?"

"Nothing. It's just-" She looked off to the distance and thought about what Aroma had told her that morning. "-Romesy told me this morning that her old boyfriend wants her back."

He winced inwardly at the name of the grass-type. He wasn't too fond of thinking about her while around the water-type; that made keeping her secret a smidgeon harder. "Nigel? Didn't he dump her for some mightyena some couple odd months ago?"

"Eight months ago, to be exact. I remember because she cried every other day for the first month without him, then spent the next two months looking for ways of killing herself,-" She paused as she remembered the several times the team has had to rescue her from Team Coal, whom she had offered to die at the hands of on multiple occasions. The irony of how she just now managed to get hurt from actually fighting them just made the lapras feel even worse. "-Then the therapy lessons that the five of us took turns having with her every other day for the next three months. Last, but not least, two months ago she finally decided 'To hell with him! I don't need him in my life!'"

By now, both of them were sitting on the sidelines of the training arena. The black and blue trainer crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I don't understand why she took his leaving so hard the second time. Didn't he leave her one other time before?"

"No, she left him because he kept abusing her. Every time he returned to 'claim his girl', he had to get through me. Being a water-type, I was able to drive him away, but it wasn't easy; he's a _lot_ stronger than he looks. But that's why I wanna perfect using Hydro Pump. I might be able to keep him away from her this time with only a single use of this move."

"Sounds like you like her more than you're letting on there Aqua! Tee-hee!"

Both of their eyes shot over to the flaming trio approaching from the far end of the sidelines. With two of the members' hair being dancing flames and the other having his fists ablaze, the whole team appeared to be one huge fireball.

"Team Coal," they both muttered to each other, the words searing their throats as though they both swallowed poison.

Their leader's mane blazed wildly as she stood in front of Aqua and her trainer. Her red eyes flared about as dangerously as her temper, which contrasted to Aqua's calm stature. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were _in love_ with our favorite candle," she taunted while the other two snickered.

Clone instinctly kept his mouth shut for fear of pointing out that it was the other way around. Aqua, on the other hand, found this as a perfect opportunity to beat her friend's assaulters to a pulp and wash those cocky grins off their faces.

"No, Bolt, I'm not like you. You proved your sexuality when you targeted her and decided to 'play with her', as she told us you worded it. Sounds rather...questionable, don't you agree?"

The rapidash glared at her in an attempt to whisk away any confidence she may have mustered, but soon found it to be futile. In an attempt to hide his leader's embarassment, Duff stepped forward. "So you're saying that Nigel's single?"

Clone grinned ear-to-ear at this opening. "Yes he is. Why Dumb-and-Tough, I didn't know you were gay!"

"MY NAME'S NOT 'DUMB-AND-TOUGH'!"

The lucario couldn't help but grin again when he saw Infernape smack his forehead with his palm, for even _he_ could see the next insult that Duff laid open for Clone to use. "So you don't deny that you're gay?"

The blaziken balled his fists next to his side, though he didn't dare fire any attacks at the duo. True, they were outnumbered, but they could have the type advantage at any given second. "I'm not gay, okay?" He gritted his teeth in an attempt to smother his anger. "I was just asking because our leader always wanted a boyfriend. Plus, we could use poor Nigel on our team so we would have more of an advantage against you losers."

Clone crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Sure, sure. _Bolt_'s the one who wants a boyfriend. Yeah we'll go with that until you feel like coming out of the closet, Duff."

Aqua raised a fin to signal him to keep quiet. "We don't care what you do with Nigel. In a sense, you'd be helping us by adding him to your team; you'd be keeping him away from Aroma. So go ahead, do what you want with him." Her deep blue eyes darted from face to face, all three of which seemed to be searching for a way to counter her logic. "You three are on Team GreenFlare turf," she continued. "What do you want? Make this quick before we forcefully remove you, which we have every right to do."

Bolt's eyes met hers once again, the cocky smirk plastered on her face once more. "Oh, we only wanted to find out how little 'Romesy' is doing."

Clone took note of how Aqua didn't react to the way they mocked Aroma's nickname. "She's fine," the gyrados-turned ditto growled. He chose this form for its type-advantage over Duff and Infernape. He wasn't too sure why gyradoses were flying-type, but given the situation, he didn't care. "And you three are nothing more than cowards. What kind of honorable team gangs up on a pokemon while she's looking for healing herbs?"

Infernape clapped several times while chanting, "We is a tough team cuz we beat up lil girls!"

Duff reached over and hit him upside the head. "Shut it, Infernape. You're being a baddie."

The primate looked at the ground in disappointment. "I-I'm sowee. I not mean to be baddie, Duff-Duff."

Clone nearly fell to the ground laughing, but fought successfully to contain himself. The blaziken glared at him, expecting him to start cracking a few jokes at his "special" colleague's language, but crossed his arms across his chest when he didn't. "You're one to talk. There's six of you and only three of us. Who's ganging up on who now?"

Aqua raised her fin once again. "True, there's more of us than there is of you. However, you only show up when there's one or two of us, so it's not like we're that much of a threat to you."

When she didn't get a response, the water creature scoffed and turned back to her trainer. "C'mon, Clone. We've gotta get back to Romesy."

"So you admit that you're in love with her, then? Only lovers have pet names for each other," Duff said pointing at her.

"Are you sure about that, 'Duff-Duff'?" Clone laughed at the impeccable timing Aqua said that with. This caused the blaziken's fists to ball up once again, but Bolt raised a hoof in the same manner that Aqua had raised a fin earlier.

"Forget them, Duff. Let's go, we've got a houndoom to find."

As they turned to leave, the lucario-turned ditto couldn't help but shout one last remark over his shoulder. "By the way Bolt, I hear the SNRRT is coming up! Better not lose that precious ten-year winning streak of yours!"

Once again, the mare glared at him with firey red eyes, but ran off with the rest of her team.

* * *

><p>"Can you believe the <em>nerves<em> of those guys? Invading our territory like they own the world; what an unbelievable bunch!" Clone threw his paws into the air to demonstrate his anger.

"Yeah." Normally Aqua didn't like to show her anger. She preferred to use insults and logic to fight for her, though she was still ruffled about the fact that they hurt her best friend.

"Then they had the gall to start insulting us! If you hand't been there, Aqua, I woulda sent them cryin' home to their mommies!"

"Mmhmm."

A short while of silence passed between them, then Clone asked, "Hey Aqua, does it bother you that they kept saying that you're in love with Aroma?"

She stopped in her tracks. "W-why are you asking me that?"

"Because you didn't seem too fazed when they started saying that you were, though you seem uncomfortable about it now. So does it?"

She thought about it for a moment. "No, it doesn't. They're just words, Clone, they don't bother me. It's only hot air, nothing more."

"Right, right." He looked off into the distance as they walked. "Do you?"

"Do I what?"

"Love Aroma?"

She stopped sliding again. "Wh-what did you just say?"

"Do you love Aroma?"

She swallowed hard and looked at the ground. Her face slowly turned red and for the first time in her life, she appeared embarassed. The blush cleared as she looked back at her trainer. "Well, yeah. In a sisterly way, I love Aroma." She gave him a quick smile and started sliding at a slightly faster pace than before.

He ran to catch up to her and stood in front of her. "No, no. I mean more than friends. More than in a 'sisterly way'."

Once again, he watched her face turn red. "N-no, are you kidding? I'm not...I'm not...-"

"A lesbian?"

Her face flushed more at the word. Clone didn't even know that such a deep red could ever exist on someone's face, yet there it was on his water-type friend's face. "I mean, it's okay if you are. I've got nothing against lesbians and gays, I'm just asking. It just...seems to make sense. I mean, you guys have been close friends for forever, you always worry about one another, you care deeply for one another, you're always together...it makes perfect sense if you do."

Deep blue eyes remained glued to the ground. "Can you keep a secret?" she mumbled.

He slowly nodded. "I take that as a 'yes', then?"

"Well...yeah." She looked him in his violet eyes, tears draining from her cobalt ones. "Yeah, I love Romesy...as more than a sister or friend." She hung her head in embarassment. "I'm a lesbian. An abomination."

He gently lifted her chin with his paw. "You're not an abomination. Love isn't something to be ashamed of, Aq. All you have to do is feel it."

She scoffed. "That's easy for you to say! You were born normal!"

"You're normal, too. Don't let your sexuality think that you're abnormal, Aqua; there are plenty of normal lesbians and gays that live in this world."

Gentle blue eyes scanned the mountains in the distance, as though looking for them. "So where are they? Why do most of them hide?"

"Because we straight pokemon can't handle things that are different than us. Lesbians and gays _are normal_, other pokemon just don't see them that way. Maybe not now, but in time we will all be seen as equals." The lucario itched his chin in wonder at the idea.

They walked in more awkward silence while admiring the view of the mountains off in the distance. Both of them kind of hated the walk up to the near peak of Mt. Bristle where their training arena is, but the view of the mountains made it all worth while. While Clone thought of other ways that the world is imperfect, a sudden fear boiled within the water creature.

"Do you think she loves me?"

"Who?"

"Romesy, of course!"

He suddenly recalled his promise of keeping the leaf pokemon's feelings towards the water-type a secret and started regretting he even asked if she loved her. "I don't know. I mean, she _might,_ but I don't know for sure. You should tell her how you feel."

They had both stopped moving. Deep blue eyes burned fearfully into cocky violet. "What if she doesn't feel the same? What if she thinks I'm disgusting or gross?" She looked at the ground. "What if she hates me for the rest of my life?"

"What if she _does_ feel the same? For all you know, she could feel the exact same about you. You could mean the world to her."

She scoffed. "Yeah right. She's straight, her relationship with Nigel proves that."

"You and her have been together longer than her and Nigel have. She could have just wanted to be with him to see if she felt anything for guys. Considering how sour her relationship with him was, she could be positive that she's not into guys."

"But what will the others say? Chica would probably understand since she's kind and compassionate enough to comprehend what we feel, but what about Cinder and Zapzac? They both find gays and lesbians loathsome!"

Her trainer grinned. "If they're your true friends, they'll understand. Besides, if you, I, Aroma, and Chica all approve of lesbians and gays, they'll just have to accept that. I doubt they'll leave the team just because of the way you two would feel about one another." He walked over to the water-type and gently laid a paw on her shoulder. "Trust me, you won't regret telling her how you feel. You can do it, I know you can."

She sighed shakily. "Maybe you're right. I'll tell her...when I'm ready."

He already knew how the grass-type would react upon hearing the news, but decided to comfort her nonetheless. "It'll be okay. She's your friend, she'll understand." He gently laid a paw on her shoulder as they walked. "I'll stand beside you if anything goes bad, 'kay?"

She neither smiled nor responded. Her mind was still chewing at the idea of telling her friend that she loved her more than what they've always been; friends. "I suppose...life is full of risks that need to be taken. I just hope that this one will lead me to a better life, a life where she and I can live together and not be shunned by others...or by each other."

Her trainer stared off into the distance. "Well, no matter what happens, you've always got us by your side."

"I guess." She couldn't hide the strip of doubt still lingering on her voice, tearing her mind to shreds. Clone knew that she would thank him later, though he also knew he'd have to stay in the room with them to make sure that she actually confessed her feelings to Aroma. '_Probably would be wiser to stay outside, but listen closely to their conversation,_' he thought to himself. '_I know eavesdropping is wrong, but I gotta make sure she goes through with this._'

The two of them walked in complete silence for they were both pondering how the situation would turn out, though one seemed more fearful about it than the other. The afternoon sun hung high in the sky and warmed the earth to a decent seventy-five degrees with a steady breeze brushing against it. Leaves and small debris flew away with the air current and was spread over the river which trailed down to Chica's cabin. However, the river goes from Apple Woods to the back of Mt. Bristle, combines with Serenity River and branches away to connect to the waterfall that leads to Waterfall Cave, then loops back to Apple Woods. They had followed this river to their leader's cabin countless times, so they know which direction to follow.

More awkward silence passed between the two as they walked. Clone's ears perked up when he realized something. "Hey Aqua, you never did share your backstory with me that one time. What gives?"

She chuckled nervously and stared at the ground. "I guess I _did_ promise you the _whole_ story, huh? Fine then." She took a deep breath while watching the terrain turn from rocks, boulders and dirt to grass, leaves and dirt. "You see, back when Romesy and I were children, her family was in a three-way war with the vaporeons and flareons. As you might've guessed, none of the three were reigning supreme since they formed the perfect elemental triangle of fire, water and grass."

A light blue fin pointed at the river. "This river is located approximately three miles away from the Lunar River, which is where the vaporeon clan resided." She pointed in the direction they were walking. "Chica's shack is nearly five miles away from the firey mountain that the flareon clan lived." Clone watched as her flipper pointed at Mt. Bristle which was fading away into the distance. "Mt. Bristle is sort of near Mystifying Forest, which is where Romesy grew up. About half a mile away from her clan's residence is the small pond where I live. You see, during that ti-"

"-Wait. Aren't there more than just those three evelutions of eevee? What was going on with the espeons, umbreons, jolteons and glaceons?"

She frowned. "I was getting to that. You see, during that time the other evolutions did their best to remain neutral. However, the flareons started to grow desperate in their fight against the others; they wanted to win the most. Therefore, they began seeking alliances with the other clans in an attempt to gain an advantage over the vaporeons; their only real enemies in the war. They tried to get the jolteons to help, since electric-types have a huge advantage over water-types, but the jolteons refused to have any part in the fight. Not only that, but the jolteons thought of the flareons as insuperior and weak."

"What were they in a huge fight about, anyway?"

She shrugged. "Nobody really remembers what the huge issue was over. All anyone knows is that the three fought to dominate the other two types, but they were evenly matched every step of the way; where the clan was successful against one enemy, they were weak against the other. Anyways, one day a little leafeon made her way to a pond on the outskirts of the forest she lived in. And that's how we met!"

"And you two have been friends ever since," he stated grinning.

"Actually, there were a few others that joined us later, but they disbanded over time. We used to have friends with a member from every eeveelutional clan, to be honest. We were with a male jolteon named Blink, a female umbreon named Shades, a male espeon named Telly, and a female glaceon named Crystal."

"Wait, I thought you said you made friends with a member from _every_ eeveelutional clan. That's only four clans!"

She sighed and itched the back of her head as they continued their journey. "I did. Those four are the ones that disbanded without conflict."

"Oh, so then the others-" he was starting to catch on what happened.

"Yeah. There was a male vaporeon named Osha that I met with on occasion. He was nice, very humble and sweet. If we had stayed together for a long enough amount of time, we'd have become mates, I'm sure of it! But then-"

"-He met Romesy, right?"

"Yup. He called me a backstabbing bitch and told me to never talk to him again. It was the first time anyone had ever cursed at me." Her deep blue eyes were fixated on the ground, but she wasn't crying. Before Clone could say anything comforting, her eyes met his. "I'm fine, don't worry."

"Hmm. Okay, what about the others?" He was hoping that the change of subject would take her mind off the pain.

Aqua nodded in a grateful manner. "Right, the others. I also met a female flareon, named Blaze, that stumbled into the woods one day. She was gravely injured and possibly would've died had we not helped her. She was amazed that her enemy could have such a kind heart towards her. Naturally, she continued to hang out with us and even agreed to join our team! The three of us would've made a perfect elemental triangle; there'd always be someone to cover our weaknesses. That is, until Romesy's little brother, Herb, found out about our forbidden friendship. He squealed on us and they took poor Blaze prisoner. We stood up and defended her when they tried to execute her, which caused Aroma to be banished from her clan. Sure, they let Blaze go, but they tossed Aroma out of her home." She looked ahead of them in hate and irritation.

"So what happened to Blaze?"

"She went home and told her parents about being caught by the leafeons. As you can surely guess, this didn't lessen the amount of tension between the tribes. We haven't heard much about the war since we left Mystifying Forest. We moved into Shimmering Reef near the coast of the island, or at least that's what I did. I helped Romesy move into a small cave in Drenched Bluff so we wouldn't be too far apart. For the first few nights, I stayed with her and kept her company. She was upset about being forced to leave her family, but she was also kind of happy to be out and on her own. I guess it gave her a feeling of joy and freedom."

"Wait, what about _your_ parents? Weren't they worried about you?"

"Dad wasn't ever really in the picture; he left mom when I was two. Mom got caught by a human when I was ten, so I've been pretty much living on my own ever since. I guess any other kid would've been scared or upset, but I didn't feel that way. You see, I met Romesy when I was eight, so she was there for me when I lost mom. I never felt lonely as long as I was with Aroma."

"I see." He itched his chin as he pictured an eight-year-old Aqua swimming around in a small pond with Aroma on her back. The thought of big-eyed, small shelled Aqua was enough to make him giggle a bit.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothin'. Just picturing you with huge eyes with a tiny shell. My lord, that'd be too cute!"

She chuckled at him. "Fine then, Mr. Comdedian, what about you? What was _your_ life like before you joined Team GreenFlare?"

"Meh, y'know the type of classic pokemon backstory; Easygoing life growing up, both parents caring and loving, lots of friends, all that great stuff. One day I lost my Oran Berry and they took up my request. I joined once they returned with it, and here I am. Once I told my parents about the team, they wished me the best of luck with all my training."

"So where do you live now?"

"Upstairs in Chica's shack. I built a small room in Aroma's library where I could stay, with Chica's and Aroma's permission, of course."

"Ahh. By the way, Romesy told me about...your mark."

He was about to ask what she was talking about when he saw her eyes pierce through the orange X on his chest. "Oh...right. That was before I joined this team, though."

"I'm really sorry about Enigma."

"Don't be. Aroma thinks there's a chance she's still alive and so do I." He raised both of his fists into the air. "I swear, I'll find her if it's the last thing I do! No, I take that back; the last thing I'll do is take down any goddamn Team Rocket member unlucky enough to get in my way!"

She smiled at him. "Well, hopefully you can find her. If you need my help with anything lemme know, okay?"

He returned her smile, the confidence and rage still burning behind his violet eyes. "Romesy said the same thing, and I'll tell you the same as well. Thank you, honestly. I'll take any help I can get in destroying as many Team Rocket members as possible."

The water-type couldn't help but giggle at his psychotic rage. However, a feeling of dread washed over her as their leader's wooden shack started coming into view.

'_This is it,_' she thought to herself. '_No going back now, I'm about to admit my feelings to Romesy._'

_**The End**_

_**...**_

_**...**_

_**...**_

_**...**_

_**HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! J/K J/K! Please don't kill me XD**_

_**End of Chapter 4**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"Hey guys," Aroma greeted Aqua and Clone as they entered their leader's home.

"Hey Aroma," replied her trainer. He suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Crap, I forgot my clipboard back at the grounds. Aqua, stay here with Aroma."

"Hmm? Wait, I thou-" the water-type's sentence was cut off when the door slammed shut. She knew the real reason why he left, though.

Her friend giggled. "Woah, something major must've happened; he _never_ forgets his clipboard. So, wanna fill me in?"

Aqua sighed quietly as she approached and sat next to her friend, feeling happier that this moment came about to buy time until her confession. "Team Coal came by the arena and started trouble."

Amber eyes widened when they heard the team's name. "They didn't attack you guys, did they?"

"Nah, just did their best to insult us. They wisely left shortly after asking about you. I guess they wanna get Nigel on their team."

The green pokemon glanced sharply at the floor. "I don't care about him. He can join Team Skull for all I care."

Her friend nodded slowly. She swallowed a couple times to clear the dry feeling forming in her throat, then sighed before saying, "Romesy...I need to tell you something."

"Uh...me too, actually."

They both stared at each other, waiting for the other to reply. Dark blue eyes got lost in astonishing amber, and the awkward tension in the air grew as both had similar words on their minds that refused to pass their lips.

"Wh-why don't you go first?" The grass-type failed noticably at keeping her voice steady.

"Um...okay. You see, Romesy...the truth is...-"

"Yeah?"

"Romesy," she started, clearing her throat once more, "I...I like you."

The other smiled warmly at her. "I like you too, Aq."

The water-type's eyes locked onto hers. "R-really?"

"Duh!" She gave the lapras a playful punch in the side. "We've been friends for forever! Did you really not expect me to like you?"

The other's blue skin turned slightly redder. "No, Aroma, you don't understand. What I'm saying is that I lo-"

"Knock, knock! We're back!"

Both of their heads turned in the direction of the voice. Aqua's heart sank to her stomach as her leader and two others entered the shack. "Zapzac's family really knows how to party," commented Cinder as he removed a party hat from his head.

"I thought you guys were going to a family reunion?" Aroma asked while tilting her head in confusion.

"That's what I thought too," replied the luxray from the entrance. "But, um...I kinda forgot that it was also my Uncle Jona's birthday."

"Even so," Clone stated as he entered the shack with his clipboard pressed against his chest, "you guys are back quite early from such an occassion."

Chica frowned and sat against one of the nearby walls. Cinder sat next to her and draped an arm around her shoulders as if to calm her. "That's because that damn Team Coal crashed the party," he remarked bitterly. "They came in and started bragging about getting a new member added to their team. And who's to follow them in but-"

"Nigel, right?" Aroma's amber eyes blazed angrily as she glanced in their direction.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" asked Chica.

"'Cause they interrupted Aq's training up in the arena today," replied the trainer. "They told us that they were gonna add him, but Aq said she didn't care as long as they kept him away from Aroma."

"And I meant every word I said. I've dealt with him once, I'll do it again if I have to."

"As will we all," Chica stated. "For now, we should get some dinner. How about we all go to that new restaurant in town?"

Aroma's leafy ears perked up. "New restaurant?"

"Yep, Miltank Munch!" Cinder gave a look of relaxation as he said the name.

Aqua was horrified at the name. "Sounds more like a butcher shop than a restaurant."

Clone waved his paw indifferently. "Relax, I passed that place on the way back to Mt. Bristle. A Miltank worker named Betty stopped me on the way and told me about it. I guess it's just like Spinda's Cafe, only they make gourmet meals out of multiple berries you give them, rather than drinks with single gummis. From what she told me, their food is to _die _for!"

"Sounds good," replied Aroma. "I could use a gourmet meal. Haven't been out in _ages_. But you guys go on ahead. Aq and I will catch up with you in a few minutes."

The others nodded and left the two to themselves as they left the shack. More silence filled the room before Aroma decided to speak.

"So, what was it you were saying? Y'know, before Chica cut you off?"

The water-type swallowed hard again. "R-right. Um... you see, Romesy, I...I..." Her mouth remained agape as incoherent words kept fluttering out. Finally, after about a minute of supressed silence, she sighed and glared at the floor in hatred for herself. "Nevermind. It's just...nothing."

The grass-type nodded, not wanting to pressure her any further. The aquatic pokemon suddenly raised her head. "What was it you wanted to tell _me_?"

"Oh, uh...just that...er, it can wait until later, I suppose. Nothing important, really. Come on, the others are waiting for us."

"You going to be okay to walk that far or would you rather get a ride?"

"Um...ride wouldn't hurt. I'd be slowing everyone down by walking."

Aqua nodded as she went over to her friend and helped her up onto her back. The leaf pokemon had been up there quite a number of times before and found a comfortable place between her neck and one of her shell spikes. She settled there as her steed left the shack and started down the path with the others awaiting them.

Clone smiled. "What took you two so long?"

"Just had to make sure Romesy was ready to head out and that things were picked up," Aqua stated. "We're all set." She shrugged helplessly at Clone to indicate that she hadn't told Aroma her secret. His gaze looked angry and accusing, but went ignored for the time being. They all headed down the path alongside the river.

While Aqua was focused on keeping up with the others, Aroma took the time to peer back into the water. Many droplets continued to run over each other just like they had last night. Even though so much had happened within that time, nature went about it's business. As though nothing mattered. She found that to be rather admirable.

Soon enough, they turned off the path from the river and started off for town. There was one thing Chica couldn't stand about coming into town, and soon enough it came rushing up to her and had Cinder growling while baring his teeth.

"Chica, you look as stunning as always," boasted a golden-skinned vaporeon with maroon marks replacing the tan ones normally seen.

"Vincent, what do you want?" she asked with clear irritation.

"Just a simple chat with you, if you'd permit it. You know, leader-to-leader?"

Cinder snarled as he stepped in front of his mate. "I don't think so. You want to talk with her, you can do it in front of all of us."

Vincent scoffed as he waved his tail at him in mild annoyance. "Please, Cinder, the _adults_ are talking. We've no time for your childish banter."

Vincent was the leader of an exploration team that often competed against Team GreenFlare in almost everything they did, though their leader was seen more than the rest of the team due to his infatuation with Chica. After he had evolved into a vaporeon, exposure to a Light Stone had turned his skin golden-colored with maroon markings. Ever since, he's had a snobbish personality and considers himself the prince among vaporeons.

"You can make horrible attempts at hitting on me later, Vincent. Right now we're taking our friend out to dinner to make her feel better."

"I'm not hitting on you, though I'd very much like to." He cleared his throat when Cinder started cracking his knuckles. "I need to talk to you about some important matters that could pose a problem to both of our teams. Perhaps... over dinner?" he asked with hopeful eyes.

"Over my dead body," snarled Cinder.

"Hold on, dear," Chica stated while holding up one of her front feet. "What problem are you talking about?"

A smirk formed on his golden muzzle. "Y'know, my hunger's making my memory rather hazy... I'm sure I'd be willing to tell you more about it after a good meal."

Cinder went to protest, but Chica stopped him. "Beating him to a pulp won't get us the information, Cin. Besides, it's just dinner. How bad could it be?"

"If he tries anything, I'll make it _very _bad," he warned while glaring at his rival.

"I'll make it extra special," Vincent remarked while shooting him a dirty look as he walked on the opposite side of Chica.

Soon enough, they arrived in Treasure Town and right across from Spinda's Cafe was the Miltank Munch. It had stairs going down into a large room similarly to how the cafe was made, only this room made the cafe look miniscule! It had to be at least three times larger with tables scattered everywhere and Pokemon at nearly every one!

A miltank came strolling up to them. "Hi there! Welcome to the Miltank Munch! My name is Betty and I'll be your waitress this evening. Please follow me." Her voice was sweet as she greeted them. The gang followed behind her as they were led to a six-seated circular table.

"Excuse me, but are there any... special booths so my girl and I may eat in private?" Vincent asked Betty while using a fin to pull Chica closer to his side.

She smiled and nodded at them. "Right this way, sir."

Grabbing him by his collar, Cinder growled threateningly into his ear-fin, "You touch her again, and so help me Arceus I'll turn you to ashes."

Tugging himself away from Cinder, Vincent fixed his collar while scowling at him. "Easy, Cinder. We're in a public restaurant, remember? People might stare at us if they see you throw a temper tantrum." With that, he rushed to catch up with Betty and Chica.

Clone set a black paw on Cinder's shoulder in hopes of turning his attention away from them. "Come off it, man. Just try to chill tonight, alright? Chica can handle herself. Between the two of them, she's got the type advantage."

"I guess you're right," he mumbled irritably before taking his seat as Clone helped Aroma into hers. Aqua removed one of the chairs quietly from the table so there'd be room for her to stand. Just as everyone got settled, who else would enter the room but Team Coal.

Ice ran through Aroma's veins as she saw her attackers strut through the diner as though they owned the place, her ex-boyfriend staring at her longingly as Bolt nuzzled up to him while they walked to their table on the other side of the joint.

Every Team GreenFlare member tried their hardest not to look over at that table, especially Aroma. However, it wasn't easy considering how she was seated in a way that forced her to face that particular direction. After having ordered their meals and offering the correct amount of berries, she and Cinder decided to switch seats so that he faced them and she had her back to them. Because Aqua was situated in between them, she remained next to her grass-type crush. Once their meals arrived, none of them hesitated to dig in. Cinder and Clone used silverware while Zapzac, Aroma, and Aqua all craned their necks and ate directly from their plates.

"So, how was the party?" Clone asked after swallowing a mouthful of berry pasta.

"It was alright," replied Cinder. "Zapzac's family are real party Pokemon. Chica and I had a blast despite not having known anyone there."

"Sounds like we missed quite the event," Aqua stated with a light chuckle. Her grin soon died, however, when something hit the back of Romesy's head. She looked down under her friend's chair to find what looked like a small piece of berry. Looking about the restaurant after being hit a couple times by pieces of berry herself, aqua eyes soon locking onto the Infernape at a certain table holding a homemade slingshot.

A piece of berry soon bounced off of Cinder's snout, causing him to snarl and slam his fist down on the table. Everyone around him was startled as he stood up and started walking around the table towards Team Coal's.

"Cinder, come on!"

"It's not worth it, man!"

"Let's just finish our meals and go!"

"Please don't do this!"

Ignoring the pleas of his friends, he stormed over to the table and tugged on the back of Infernape's chair so hard that the primate fell back with it. Without hesitation, Cinder snatched up his toy and turned it to a pile of ashes on the table using flames that shot out of his nostrils. He then lifted him up and growled at him.

"Just because we're in a public place, that doesn't mean I won't hesitate to beat you to a pulp!"

Infernape smirked and pulled out of his grasp. "Why wait 'till later? I'll send you home cryin' right now and save Duff-Duff the energy from havin' to do it later!"

Before either could lash out at each other, a large wall of water seperated them and an annoyed Floatzel stepped forth. "Now, the rest of us came here for a high-quality dining experience, not an all-out brawl. If you two can't handle that, you and your crews are more than welcome to leave."

Shooting death glares at each other, Cinder and Infernape returned to their individual seats and continued their meals wordlessly.

'_I'll let that pathetic primate go,_' Cinder thought to himself. '_This time. For Aroma._'

XxX

"Enough with the compliments, Victor," Chica stated while rubbing her forhead with one of her vines in annoyance. "Though they are appreciated, they aren't why I agreed to have dinner with you."

"My dear Chica, why do you push me aside? I'm far better than that fool, Cinder. He's a child who can't control his temper, a beast with an unpredictable attitude."

"Don't talk about him that way," she demanded glaring harshly at the vaporeon across from her. "He may have his flaws, but that doesn't mean I love him any less."

"Why do you love him and not me?"

"He's him and you're you. That's the only explanation I need. Now tell me what this 'problem' is, or I'm leaving."

"Fine," he said with a heavy sigh. "Violet, one of the most recent members, has found some interesting facts about Team Coal. She was able to find out about something that they have in their possession that could possibly be used to ruin both of our teams in one fell swoop."

"I'm listening," she replied with intense interest.

As the two of them talked about what Violet had found out, they were unaware of the calamities occurring in the main part of the restaurant. And even less aware of the devious plans being put to work against them.

_**End of Chapter 5**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

"A hurricane?" pondered Aqua.

The team was back at Chica's cabin, lounging about while the shack's owner shared the information disclosed to her.

"That's Violet's prediction," Chica stated. "Team Vapor has been warning everyone to relocate for the time being. I'm not sure if we should do the same thing or not…"

"Can't we just confirm with the help of an Absol?" suggested Cinder.

"Absols haven't been in Treasure Town for an awful long time," said Aroma. "Maybe they could feel it coming and left long before Violet caught wind of it?"

"But then Clone could tansf-"

"No, I can't," he cut Cinder off. "I can't transform into a Pokémon I haven't seen before. I've never seen an Absol before."

"Well…weak," Cinder pouted. "Now we have no possible way of confirming our rival team's predictions of a storm. What if they're wrong?"

"Or, what if they're just trying to scare us off?" chimed in Clone.

"There's actually something else," Chica sighed.

Everyone glanced her way, but she looked awfully crestfallen.

"What's wrong, Chica?" Cinder asked concernedly.

"Uh…I'm not.. quite sure how to say this…"

"What is it?" all of the members pressured further. Their beloved leader's sudden depression was making them all antsy.

"You see…Team Coal is adding a fifth member to their roster…"

"WHAT!?" everyone exclaimed in response. Well, everyone except Aroma. She seemed pretty disappointed that the information was about that pathetic team.

"Who're they adding _now_!?" whined Clone. "Soon, those losers are gonna be as tough to deal with as friggin' Team Vapor!"

"No…they're _tougher_," Chica said sadly. Everyone stared at her once again until she sighed heavily and continued. "Vincent told me that they were on the job when they were suddenly cornered by Team Coal. They had no issues taking out the original three Pokémon, but suddenly Bolt held something up in the air and a fourth Pokémon came out of nowhere. According to Vincent, this fourth Pokémon was quick and agile. It was impossible for them to land an attack on it, and before any of them knew it they were all KO'd."

All of their eyes widened as they listened to her story. Even Aroma was shocked by the news of Team Vapor's inevitable defeat by this new foe.

"Vincent said that when his team awoke, all of their items, Pokés, and even Team Badges were missing. They had to apply to get replacement badges the other day."

"That's insane!" cried out Clone.

"What did Team Coal have to say?" asked Aqua.

"Why would anyone bother with taking their Team Badges?" added Aroma.

"Vincent told me that by the time his team awoke, Team Coal was long gone. He wasn't sure why someone would want their badges, though."

"Maybe someone's trying to sell them to other Pokémon?" suggested Cinder. "After all, crooks could very easily steal some poor sucker's Pokés while running past them, and then use the badges to whisk them away should they give chase."

"While that's a good point, the Team Badges only work for those registered to the team they originally were given to," Zapzac pointed out. "I read that in a book in my mom's old library once."

"Never mind the badges, think about the assailant," Aqua stated. "What kind of Pokémon was it, Chica?"

"They didn't get a good enough look at it," she replied. "It moved too quickly for them to keep up with, but one of the team members told Vincent that it seemed ninja-like in movement."

"Ninja-like?" Cinder pondered. "What, like a Ninjask?"

"No, it didn't have wings."

"What about-"

"Wait," Aroma cut her off. "I'm sorry, Aqua, I didn't mean to interrupt, but…was it.. Nigel?"

"No," Chica responded. "Vincent said that Nigel didn't partake in Team Coal's mission this time around."

"Oh…"

"Was it a Sneasel or a Weavile?" suggested Aqua as she comforted Aroma. "They move around pretty quickly and are expert thieves."

"Maybe," Chica shrugged.

"Whenever I think of the word 'ninja', Nuzleafs come to mind," Aroma said uneasily.

"I think, Sableyes," Cinder snarled. "Much like the ones we saw in the future."

"Good suggestions," Chica smiled, "but nothing can be confirmed as of yet. The only one who knows what it really was is Team Coal. Vincent is going to interrogate them today along with Officer Magnezone and a fellow Team Vapor member."

"That so?" inquired Clone. "Well, good for them, I guess. In any case, what do we do regarding this whole hurricane matter?"

"What is there _to_ do?" shrugged Zapzac. "Hurricanes are just part of nature. It's not like we can stop it or anything."

"Even so, I think we should talk to Wigglytuff's Guild about it," stated Chica. "If there truly is a hurricane coming, maybe they've heard about it. If they haven't, then they should at least know that the potential danger is there. I doubt Team Vapor is the type of team to rile an entire town up for the sake of coming out on top of us, but it never hurts to take precautions."

"So, how do you want us to do this?" inquired Aqua.

"Aqua, you and Cinder travel to Treasure Town and get information from Vincent regarding the interrogation. I also want you to inform Wigglytuff's Guild about the possible hurricane."

"Not an issue," Aqua reassured her leader.

"That Vincent d-bag better not start with me," snarled Cinder.

"Try not to get into a fight," Chica sighed. "Clone, I want you to transform into Shaymin's Sky Forme and fly around the islands. Try to find someone who might know more about this hurricane that could be coming our way."

"No worries," he replied with a nod.

"I could go with Clone," offered Zapzac. "In case he runs into some trouble in the skies?"

"No, I want you to stay here with Aroma. I don't want her left alone in case Team Coal decides to drop by. She's not completely healed yet."

"What about you?" Cinder asked.

"I have someone I need to talk to," replied Chica.

"Alone? Are you sure that's safe?" Aroma asked.

"I'll be fine, don't you worry. In any case, you all know your duties. Let's get down to work!"

"YEAH!" everyone called out before four of the members left the shack.

Zapzac sighed heavily. "Looks like I'm on the bench. Yet again."

"It's not so bad," replied Aroma with a small smile. "If you'd like, you could read one of my Herbology books with me."

"As, uh.. _fun_ as that sounds, Aroma, I'd rather not. Herbology isn't exactly appealing to me." Zapzac tilted her head in curiosity. "What other types of books do you have?"

"I have some books on Treasure Town's history, some books on cooking, the geology of this area, fairy tale books, romance novels, mystery books, horror books, and…well, I have an Atlas. Anything sound interesting?"

"Hm…I'd really like to read some of Treasure Town's history and any books you may have on legends and lore of the area."

Aroma smiled brightly at having successfully gotten the girl's interest in something. "Come on, I have a lot of books detailing some strange happenings in this area that most have choked up to pure lore and such. I think you'll like them." She beckoned for the Luxray to follow her before prancing off.

'_That's odd,_' Zapzac thought to herself. '_She seems to be fine enough to skip around, but not fine enough to leave the house? Chica must be underestimating her recovery abilities._'

XxX

"This is stupid," Cinder stated while grumpily tapping his foot on the ground. "Why did Chica give us the task of talking with these dopes about _their_ foe that _they_ can't handle themselves because they're so weak?"

"Think about it this way," Aqua suggested, "if Team Vapor has issues dealing with this new ally of Team Coal's, then that means we might have some serious trouble regarding those wimps in the future. It'd be best if we got as much information about what we'd be up against as possible."

"Well yeah, but Team Vapor's wimpy as well."

"They're the second strongest team in the area."

"Yeah, and we're the first." Cinder's lips pulled back into a cocky grin that showed off his canines while he crossed his arms. "I'd like to see those losers take on Dialga while Temporal Tower collapses around them. If Chica and I _alone_ could handle that, imagine what our entire _team_ is capable of. Believe me, this 'unknown, new foe' is probably just some pathetically wimpy Pokémon who's nothing short of a petty thief."

"If it weren't for Chica, not even _you_ would have had the guts to take on Dialga while Temporal Tower collapses around you, Cinder," stated an annoyingly haughty voice that Cinder did _not_ want to hear at the moment. He turned on his heels to see Vincent and a strange Pokémon walking out of the Treasure Town Police Station.

"Sh-shut up," Cinder growled at him. "I didn't see _you_ anywhere when we were fighting Dialga. What were you doing at that time, putting on your makeup?"

"In case you forgot, Cinder, it was _my_ team who saved your ass when you neared the top of that tower. You and Chica were ambushed by a Monster House on floor eight. If it weren't for us, you two would never have made it to the top in time. In addition to that, I believe it was also because of _my_ generosity that you and that Luxray received Oran Berries and Apples when you nearly starved to death at Mt. Fr-ease a few days ago. You almost returned to Chica empty-handed, but it was thanks to me that your mission was a success. And yet, here you're trying to say that we're the pathetic ones. Tell me, if we're so blatantly pathetic, then what does that make you, the person who's needed the help of such pathetic Pokémon?"

Cinder growled and probably would have struck Vincent if Aqua hadn't stopped him. "We didn't come here to fight. We only came to ask about the interrogation."

"Infernape clearly didn't know anything about the creature," stated the odd Pokémon. "Nigel refused to speak, Bolt just kept rambling about the SNRRT, and Duff just continuously avoided the questions we asked."

"What're you supposed to be?" Cinder asked while raising an eyebrow at the Pokémon.

"I'm a Lampent," he replied. "My name is Match."

"Are you sure?" asked Aqua. "Zapzac showed me a picture of a Lampent once, and you don't exactly look like one…I mean, you _do_ resemble one, but your colors are totally off."

"Some sort of weird spiritual make-up within my flame is what I theorize to be the cause of my discoloration. As such, my frame is a vivid red, inner casing is pink, and eyes are lime green."

"Well, it's a shame we didn't learn anything from those Team Coal losers," Cinder stated with a hefty sigh. "We're back to square one on that matter."

"Indeed," replied Vincent with a concerned gaze in his eyes. He rubbed his chin while looking off into the distance. "We may have to have Void use her, eh…_persuasive skills_ to get them to talk."

"Yeah, well, keep that crazy Haunter chick away from me and I'll have no objections," Cinder said while glaring at Vincent. The statement made the golden Vaporeon chuckle lightly.

"Why's that? Do you fear her, Cinder?"

"Fear her? That crazy psychopath tries to kill me every time she sets her eyes on me!"

"Then if I were you I'd stay as far away from her line of sight as I could," Vincent replied facetiously. "Heck, if I were you I might even hire some random Pokémon to watch my back for me. Because next thing you know, you might have a knife in it." With a final chuckle, he and the Lampent walked off.

"Can you believe him!? 'Heck, if I were you I might even hire some random Pokémon to watch my back for me. Because next thing you know, you might have a knife in it,'" Cinder mocked with his best impression of a female's voice. "He's such a stuck-up, snobby little Psyduck who needs to be squished by a Wailord."

"Ignore him, Cinder," Aqua sighed. "At least we got one part of our duty completed. Come on, we have to head over to Wigglytuff's Guild now and inform them of the possible hurricane."

"Fine," mumbled Cinder. "I really hope Loudred isn't as annoying as usual. I already have a headache as it is."

XxX

Chica sighed heavily as she made her way across the barren fields of Black Canyon. The fields, as one would imagine, were completely black. Signs of life were nowhere to be seen on this parched terrain.

The Canyon used to be the most gorgeous and prosperous part of the island, but a thunderstorm unleashed a bolt of lightning that burned up the fields. Left untamed, the flames choked the life out of the lands and stole many Pokémon lives. Others have tried to clear the ashes and restore the Canyon to its former beauty, but their efforts were in vain.

Rumors say that the lightning bolt was absorbed by the very land it struck, so its power keeps the land from recovering from its lifeless state. Some say that the bandits who once resided on this land tainted it, which is why it refuses to recover from ruin.

Regardless, Chica continued across the bleak landscape until she came across a lone dead log lying on its side in the middle of the field. Bits of dried up hay and other minor signs of life were scattered around the log. Tracks within the dirt show that there was a great struggle. There was an unusual amount of blood splattered here and there, too. Within the log was more dead and bloody grass. It looked stiff and worn down, like nobody changed the bedding in a long time. She pitied the poor soul who had to sleep on that uncomfortable material. It looked as though there was more dried up blood in the hay than anywhere else around the log.

What Chica also noticed made her realize that Vincent had told her the truth. The final piece of information he shared with her the night they had dinner together was true. Now, more than ever, she strongly wanted to know how he found out about this.

The Bayleef tore her sights away from the gory display before her and looked around the area. Her eyes locked on her target and she called out to a black figure on the horizon. The figure approached quickly, but sat with its back to her once it was close.

"I thought I told you to never return to this place," a voice stated.

"I didn't have much choice," Chica responded.

"You don't belong here. Go back to your pretty little town with all of your little friends. I don't need your help."

"No. But I need yours."

"Get your help elsewhere."

"Do you think I would have come here if that option was available to me?"

Sighing, the black figure turned and faced Chica. It was a Mightyena who was emaciated and dehydrated. It looked like it hadn't slept in days. Its silver, sunken eyes leered at the Bayleef before it. Its female voice was parched of life, much like the land, but was also firm and demanding. "What do you want?"

"I think you know the answer to that question," Chica replied calmly.

"I don't have what you're looking for. He's not here."

"I know that."

"Then what-"

"I know what happened."

"No, you don't," the Mightyena said sharply while turning its back on Chica. "You don't know anything."

"A friend told me."

"Your friend lied."

"Then where are they?" Chica asked in a challenging tone of voice. "Where are your kids, Nana?"

"They…they ran off."

"That's the best you can come up with? 'They ran off?'"

"…"

"Open your eyes, Nana."

"My eyes _are_ open."

"Open them more."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want you to see what he really is." Chica walked over to the Mightyena and sat next to it.

"What is there to see?"

"What you obviously refuse to."

"You can't see what's not there." The Mightyena kept its gaze on the horizon. "Things are fine."

"You know better."

"Don't tell me what I know and don't know."

"Nana. Look in the log."

"I don't want to."

"Why not?"

"It's…filthy."

"You know what he did."

"No."

"You can't change it."

"NO."

"There's nothing around here, Nana."

"No!"

"Where else would he have-"

"NO!" screamed the Mightyena as loud as it could. It turned to try and walk off in another direction, but Chica was quick enough to step in front of it.

"Nana, you can't keep defending him! Open your eyes, woman!"

"No…."

"Look in the log, Nana. _He_ did that!"

"No…he wouldn't…"

"He did. He chased down those kids, his own flesh and blood-"

"Stop it!"

"-he pinned them down and trapped them within that log-"

"No, he didn't!"

"-he bared his teeth even while they cried out for help-"

"You're deranged!"

"-he sank his teeth into their skin and never stopped until there was nothing left!"

"NO! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" cried out the Mightyena as tears streamed down her face.

"Look in the log, Nana!" Chica screamed as loud as she could. "Those are your kids' skeletons in there! THERE'S NOTHING LEFT OF THEM BUT THEIR BONES! The man who supposedly loves you above all else ate your little angels and went crawling back to Aroma!"

"NO HE DIDN'T! YOU'RE LYING, YOU ALWAYS LIE!"

Frustrated, Chica went over to the log and smashed it open with her vines. She cleared out the pieces of bark and then went back over to the Mightyena. With a great amount of force, she pushed the Mightyena over to the log and made her peer in, but the Mightyena closed its eyes firmly so it didn't have to see. It could smell the awful carnage, though. But it believed that as long as it didn't see the mess, it would be okay. It wouldn't be exposed to Chica's lies.

"Open your eyes, Nana."

"No."

"Open your eyes. Look at your little angels."

"I said, 'No.'"

A hard slap on the back of the Mightyena's head was enough to get it to open its eyes. Silver irises and black pupils stared at the two skeletons of the Houndour and the Poochyena that had once been the Mightyena's children.

"Look at what he did. This is the extent of his love for you, Nana. This is the extent of his love for his children."

The Mightyena couldn't tear its eyes off of the carnage sprawled out before it. It had tried to protect its children during the struggle, but in the end it only proved worthless. The struggle made it lose several patches of fur, six teeth, and its precious, precious offspring.

"He's not worth your love, Nana. He doesn't love you, or Aroma, or anybody. He loves only himself. If given the chance, he'll gladly sacrifice his own flesh and blood before he'll sacrifice his own health."

The Mightyena was finally able to pull away from the carnage and stare at the ground while breathing shakily. Tears streamed down its eyes as it mourned over the loss of its children.

"Nana…"

Chica couldn't help but feel a strong pang of remorse for the poor Mightyena. It'd been used and tossed aside just like her younger sister. The only difference is that this mother had been blinded to what her supposed lover really was until it was too late.

"You can't stay here any longer, Nana. You'll die as well."

"Then let it be so," the Mightyena said in between sobs. "I'll…b-be reunited w-with my angels…"

"I won't let that happen. It's too soon for you to go. And too many lives have been lost already. I'm sorry you lost your pups, I truly am. But I can't let you die before it's time as well. They wouldn't want you to follow them before you had to. They would have wanted you to move on with your life. To live_ for_ them. You need to make them proud by showing them that you're strong enough to keep going."

A long moment of silence was all Chica got in return. The Mightyena continued to sob, but Chica refused to leave. She didn't come here with the intent to cause this poor woman so much heartache. She came strictly on business. But she wasn't about to let an old friend continue to arrogantly dodge the truth just because it would have made things easier for her visit. Her friend needed guidance. _Her_ guidance.

"Wh-why did you come?" the Mightyena asked.

"I came bearing information you might find useful."

"Useful information?"

"Indeed."

"What information could you possibly have that's useful for me?"

"Well, it would depend on how you perceive the information."

"What are you talking about?" the Mightyena demanded, growing impatient now that it'd calmed down.

"…..I know where Nigel is."

XxX

The Pokémon tapped his fingers on the desk. The piles upon piles of paperwork set before him looked like they would take a long time to fill out; a tedious task that he always wanted to just magically have done by someone else. However, life's never that easy. One cannot simply have someone else do all of their hard work and expect the same feeling of accomplishment. It is simply the price that must be paid for being the head of a powerful team of elite Pokémon. With all great things comes work. With work comes effort. With effort comes reward.

'_So, what is my reward this time?_' the Pokémon thought lethargically. '_Certainly not money or fame. Such petty rewards. What about s__elf-gratification? Hmm…seems like a dumb schoolteacher's lame-ass excuse for a reward. However, a mundane task like filling out these forms requires some sort of reward if I'm ever to be motivated to actually do it. I guess self-gratification is a good enough reward for such a task. A poor reward is better than no reward. Unless the poor reward is too poor to actually be considered a reward. But I digress._'

So, with that thought on mind, the Pokémon pulled down the first form and got to work.

The Pokémon was not far in his work when a group of his minions burst through the door.

"My liege!" cried out the fiery mare as she bowed before his desk, along with her three underlings.

"Bolt," the Pokémon said with a light sneer. "Tell me you've crushed that pitiful team already."

"I'm afraid not, sir," the mare replied timidly. "B-but we will accomplish getting rid of them, sir! I can promise you that!"

"Hm…I grow tired of your antics, Bolt. Your group has failed more than any of my other squadrons. Tell me…why should I give you another chance?"

Bolt bit her bottom lip before clearing her throat and speaking again. "W-we have more allies in the group now, sir."

"Your past numbers were too meager to eradicate that team, Bolt? I assigned that squadron to you, myself. I made the arrangements that brought you all together." The Pokémon tapped his fingers impatiently on the desk.

"I-I-I know that, sir, and a very fine selection indeed! But our team is not, how one would say, type-differed. We consist mostly of fire-types, sir. We need more type variation if we're to take down Team GreenFlare. A-and besides, I have found a very strong weapon that has the potential to eradicate that pathetic team once and for all! It was enough to take down Team Vapor when the time came, so I do not see why it cannot take down GreenFlare as well. Please, sir, once last chance is all I ask for."

"A weapon, you say? Hm….you have confidence that should your squadron fail, you can lean back on this weapon you speak of? It is guaranteed to finish the job?"

"Yes, my liege. I have faith that nothing will stop it from taking down GreenFlare if we fail."

"Then why, pray-tell, should I bother with your meager squadron if this weapon is as strong as you say?"

"The weapon is plenty strong, but I do not think that it alone can take down GreenFlare. We need to weaken them first, and if we are unable to weaken them anymore, it will be then that the weapon will come in handy."

"I see. Then I will give you one last chance to prove your worthiness. However, if you fail me again I will see to it that you are eliminated and replaced with a better-qualified squadron. Am I understood, Bolt?"

With this, the mare smiled widely and nodded her head quickly. "Yes, my liege. I will not let you down."

As Bolt's team turned to leave, the Pokémon suddenly slammed his fist down on his desk, startling the group.

"Nigel!" he roared.

Cautiously, the Houndoom slowly turned around to face his ruler. "Yes, my lord?"

"You undoubtedly have ties with one of the members of Team GreenFlare, correct?"

He swallowed thickly. "Y-yes, my lord. I…used to be in a relationship with their healer."

"I understand that you are also the mate of Nana the Mightyena. She too used to have ties to GreenFlare. Explain how this is not a coincidence."

Sighing heavily, the male Houndoom explained, "You see, my lord, Nana the Mightyena was born into Team GreenFlare. She hatched from an egg that one of the leaders received as a reward for completing one of their jobs. She used to be the planner and organizer, but she…she went off the deep end when the leaders of the team vanished one day. By the time they returned, she was long gone. She remains connected to the team only through the primal leader. Now, she serves them no purpose. I found her when she was no longer a part of the team. Ethel, however, was part of the team when I was with her. I had no idea they were part of the same team up until three weeks ago, sir. I cannot explain how it is not a coincidence because it truly is merely coincidental. Sir."

"Hm…let me make this clear, Nigel. I want your personal connections to this team exterminated by the time this is all over. This includes getting rid of…ex-members."

"I understand, sir. I will do what is necessary."

"See to it," the Pokémon replied before waving his hand for them to leave. The group scurried out quickly and the Pokémon sighed as he returned to his paperwork.

Upon leaving the building, Bolt couldn't help but smirk at Nigel. "Ethel?"

"Yes," he said sternly while looking straight ahead, "Ethel."

"Why did you lie?"

"There are plenty of Leafeons out there who can fit the title of 'Ethel' very easily," he explained. "However…there is only one Leafeon who can fit the title of 'Aroma'."

"You're not going to let this take control of you, are you?" Duff asked cautiously. "I mean…what if you have to kill her? What if He demands it of you?"

"I'll burn villages, kill hundreds, torture millions, and eat my own offspring if He demands it of me." He kept his gaze fixated ahead, fiery passion burning in his eyes as the group walked forth. "But nobody…not even the mightiest being on this planet, will take Aroma from me. I'll kill Him before it comes to that."

**End of Chapter 6**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okay, now before you all get out your pitchforks and torches, there's a reason this chapter was delayed. That reason being that I'll be moving soon and the school year is almost over. As such, I have stuff I have to tie together while I work on these. Plus I have other things I've gotta work on as well.**

**Still, I thought I'd upload this chapter in hopes of showing you all that I haven't forgotten about my stories here on ff.n. I just have a lot going on. I'll try to work more on my stories, but it won't be anything fast. Slow steps, right? x3**

**Anyway, just be patient with me ^^; Trust me, I'll get around to getting these updated, and (eventually) finished.**

**...**

**Okay, you may now draw your pitchforks and torches if you still want to xP**


	7. Temporarily Discontinued

I know you all were hoping for and expecting a new chapter for this story to be published, and I want to apologize to you all for making you wait so long for an update. I'm actually having a lot of trouble typing these stories…I have the chapters planned out and everything, it's just getting back into them that's difficult. Let me assure you, I have absolutely NO plans of deleting any of my unfinished stories thus far, but I think I need to take an extended vacation from trying to type them. I fear that if I force myself to finally type the chapters that they won't be the best that I can make them, and the last thing I wanted to do was type up some crappy poorly-written updates for stories you've been waiting so long for. I feel like you deserve better than that, and I'd rather have you wait for me to put my heart into these stories than just throw out crap and label it as what you've all been waiting for.

Another thing to note is that just because I'm putting Attack of the Fairies, Accusations, and Strengths and Weaknesses on hold that does not mean I'm not going to submit any more stories for the time being. I actually have a lot of oneshots I made a long time ago that I've only now just dug up and am looking at. I want to give you guys _something_ to read while I try to regain my muse for my three unfinished stories, and I think working on smaller projects will eventually give me the inspirational fuel I need for these three big boys.

I want to apologize again for leaving you all in the dark for so long. When I started Accusations and Strengths and Weaknesses, I didn't exactly count on them turning out to be as largely planned as they are. I understand if you're furious at me or whatever and I understand if you'd rather not waste time waiting on me to friggen update. That's reasonable and I wouldn't blame you for losing your patience with me. I just don't want these projects to go from uninspired ideas to worn-out obligational chores. To me, when writing becomes a chore that's when it loses its charm, and I don't want that for any of my stories.

Thank you for your time.

...

You may now unleash your anger upon me TwT


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